State parole officials abandoned an idea to move a parole reporting office across the street from a West Hill elementary school on Tuesday after the proposal drew ferocious opposition from school officials, City Hall, the district attorney and state lawmakers.

But in statement issued Tuesday afternoon amid a 24-hour cascade of community pressure and inquiries from the Times Union, DOCCS spokesman Tom Mailey said the move to Central Avenue was never final.

"The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision prides itself on being a good neighbor in the communities where we work," Mailey wrote. After listening to feedback from the community, we determined that this location would no longer be considered."

But the Public Employees Federation, which represents parole officers, however, countered that union officials were led to believe the site was more than just under consideration.

"We thought this was bad move," PEF spokeswoman Jane Briggs said. "We were under the impression that this was going to happen, and we were against it for safety issues."

The officer warned the move amounted to inviting violent criminals from 11 counties, some of them sex offenders, to within spitting distance of the school.

Cruz, who declined to comment Tuesday on his letter, also raised a concern that the move would violate state law, which requires that some sex offenders who are on parole to stay 1,000 feet from schools and playgrounds.